Born in Trois-Rivières, Colonel (retired) Georges Rousseau has been in uniform 41 years. He joined the Militia in 1970 and transferred to the Regular Force component of the Canadian Forces in 1972. Upon graduating basic officer training, he was posted to the 12e Régiment blindé du Canada in Valcartier, Quebec. Having served the first nine years of his career in the province of Quebec, Colonel (retired) Rousseau requested a transfer to The Royal Canadian Dragoons and was posted to Germany. He would eventually serve two tours with the Regiment, the latter as Regimental Second in Command.

During his distinguished career as an Armoured Officer, he held a variety of command and staff appointments in Canada and abroad. He has commanded at the troop, squadron (12 RBC) and unit level. Additionally, he served as the Operations Officer (G3) of the 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in Lahr, Germany, Senior Operations Officer for a UN mission in Iraq and Chief of Staff of the Combat Training Center in Gagetown, NB.

Although Colonel (retired) Rousseau’s forte has been operations and training, he has extensive executive level staff experience. In his first tour in National Defence Headquarters he served in the Vice Chief of Defence Staff Secretariat as the Senior Land Forces Analyst. After a short pause to command the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps School, he returned to serve three years as the Director of Armour.

Weeks prior to 9/11, Colonel (retired) Rousseau was appointed Director of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence. His last appointment in the active component of the Canadian Forces was as the Defence Attaché to France with cross accreditations to Spain and Portugal.

In April 2012, Colonel (retired) Rousseau is appointed “Colonel of the Regiment”, the Royal Canadian Dragoons. He held this honorary appointment until September 2015. By command of His Excellency the Governor General of Canada, Colonel (retired) Rousseau was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps on 3 October 2015.

Colonel (retired) Rousseau is a graduate of the University of Ottawa (Political Science), the Canadian Land Force Staff College Kingston, the All Arms Tactics School Warminster in the United Kingdom, and the Canadian Command and Staff College in Toronto.

Since retiring from the Canadian Forces in September 2008, Colonel (retired) Rousseau has joined CFN Consultants in Ottawa. He is happily married (41 years) to Maureen Brennan (his high school sweetheart) and they have three daughters, three grand- daughters and three grand-sons.

Colonel Cross joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1986. He was commissioned upon completion of Armour training in 1989 and joined the 8 th Canadian Hussars (PrincessLouise’s) in Lahr, Germany. In the years that followed, and between periods of extra regimental employment, he served as a reconnaissance troop leader, a tank squadron battle captain and as Adjutant. In 1999 he transferred to The Royal Canadian Dragoons in Petawawa where he subsequently served as the Operations Officer, commanded Reconnaissance Squadron and ultimately the regiment as its 53 rd Commanding Officer.

In addition to commanding the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Company in Kabul, in 2003, Colonel Cross completed tours of duty in Germany, at Headquarters Stabilization Force in Sarajevo and at Headquarters Regional Command (South) in Kandahar.

Colonel Cross is a graduate of the Canadian Army Command and Staff College, the Canadian Armed Forces’ Joint Command and Staff Programme, the US Army’s Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program, and he holds the US Military’s Joint Professional Military Education II qualification. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Military Arts and Science and a Master’s Degree in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada, and a Masters in Military Art and Science with a concentration in Strategic Studies from the US Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies.

Colonel Cross was promoted to his current rank in December 2015 while serving on exchange with the US Army as a Seminar Leader at the School of Advanced Military Studies. Previous assignments include: Military Assistant to Commander Regional Command (South) in Kandahar, Chief of Staff of the Combat Training Centre, Chief of Staff of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, Commanding Officer of The Royal Canadian Dragoons, and Executive Assistant to Commander Canadian Joint Operations Command. In July 2016, Colonel Cross will be appointed Director Army Staff at Canadian Army Headquarters with a secondary appointment as the Director of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.

Colonel Cross is married to Connie Cross. They have two children: Meghan and Hayden.